July 15, 2007

Music Roundup 2

Ah, summertime. While Top 40 radio fills the airwaves with Fall Out Boy’s consonantal “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs,” Timbaland’s illiterate “The Way I Are” and Fergie’s suicide-inducing “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” there are many bands under the mainstream radar that could — and should — take their place upon the “Song of the Summer” throne. Here are a few that I’m rocking out to right now:

First up is LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends,” a vivacious song that perfectly captures the feel of those random summertime road trips with nothing but good friends and the open road. This is one of my favorite tracks from one of my favorite albums of the year so far:

The National’s latest album Boxer was released in May, and I want everyone to stop reading this post and go buy the CD. Yes, immediately; I’ll wait.

Now that you’re back, here’s their first single off of the aforementioned album. “Mistaken for Strangers” is hard to describe, as the National’s lyrics and music are complex musically and lyrically. But they’re also one of the most dynamic bands around. See for yourself:

This is an NSFW video for the Dresden Dolls’ latest single “Shores of California.” Cabaret music, burlesque dancing and an ocean vista — what better combination is there?

And we finally have Spoon’s “Underdog,” a cheerily caustic and eminently singable track replete with horns and syncopated clapping. Summertime music doesn’t get much better than this: